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Anonymous (Oral history)

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Object description

British officer served with RAF in map-room at Cabinet War Room in London, GB, 1939-1940; served personal assistant to Air Chief Marshal Brooke-Popham, Governor of Singapore, 1940- 1942; served as military assistant to General Pownell in Singapore, Java, Ceylon, Iraq and India, 1942-1944

Content description

REEL 1 Background in Godalming, 1900-1939: family; education; reaction at Charterhouse School to declaration of Second World War; sight of German airship brought down in London; attitude towards Germans. Recollections of period as Wing Commander with RAF in Cabinet War Room, 1939-1940: how he became a Wing Commander, 1939; role as map keeper from 10/1939; personnel in map room; VIPs who visited map room; story of how Winston Churchill asked about Royal Navy sinkings; George the Sixth's visit to map room; further details of job; morale, 6/1940. Recollections of period as personal assistant to Air Chief Marshal Brooke-Popham, Governor of Singapore, 1940-1942: how he became Brooke- Popham's assistant; flight from GB to Singapore; duties as assistant; dealing with visitors; background to why Brooke- Popham was replaced by General Pownall.
REEL 2 Continues: how US personnel warned of impending Japanese attack; false report which led to loss of British warships; memories of Brooke-Popham; arrival of Opal Brooke-Popham. Recollections of period as military assistant to General Pownall in Java, 1942: setting up of joint military command in Java; his problems in writing situation reports; military and naval losses; escape from Java to Ceylon aboard Kedah, c2/1942; memories of looking after General Wavell in Java after he fell of pier; opinion and memories of General Wavell. Aspects of period as military assistant to General Pownall in Ceylon, 1942-1943: visit of General Wavell to Ceylon; Japanese air raid on Colombo, Easter 1942; sight of aircraft crash landing, c4/1942.
REEL 3 Continues: presence of Polish troops on Ceylon; capture of German spy. Memories of period as military assistant to General Pownall with Paiforce in Iraq and Persia, 1943-1944. Recollections of period as military assistant to General Pownall in India, 1944: accommodation in New Dehli; General Pownall anxiety not to crash on route to Imphal; memories of Mountbatten; problems of elderly officers working for younger commanders; horse riding with Mountbatten; Mountbatten's removal of General Pownall; Pownall's attitude towards Chindit operations; dealing with Orde Wingate's messages to Winston Churchill; impressions of Orde Wingate; return to GB with General Pownall, late 1944. Recollections of period as personal assistant to Air Chief Marshal Brooke- Popham in Singapore, 1940-1942: visits to Hong Kong; Brooke-Popham's address to army officers about impending Japanese threat; visit to Australia and impressions of Australian war effort.

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This unpleasant-looking character is called the Squander Bug, and it was created during the Second World War by artist Phillip Boydell, an employee of the National Savings Committee. The cartoon bug appeared in press adverts and poster campaigns as a menace who encouraged shoppers to waste money rather than buy war savings certificates.